firehand

Prometheus 6   

Do not make the mistake of thinking that because my conclusion is the same as another person's that my reasoning is the same

September 22, 2003

 

One reason I got to get back out to the Bay Area

The main reason, of course, is there's some people I owe time and caring to. But now I know one more place I want to go to provide such.

Return to splendor
Renovated Ferry Building reclaims glory
John King, Chronicle Urban Design Writer
Sunday, September 21, 2003

Even when it was scuffed and worn and barely alive, the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street was a beloved symbol of San Francisco's past.

Now, six months after a stunning $100 million restoration, the revived 1898 landmark is more than just a symbol. It is becoming an integral part of city life for the first time in more than 60 years, once again the most compelling link between downtown and the bay.

Our staid survivor is also -- surprise! -- a subversive architectural triumph. It makes a persuasive case that landmarks can't be frozen in time. They need to evolve with the cities around them -- and if that means taking liberties, so be it.

Viewed from afar, the building is as grandly formal as ever: a three-story- tall, 220-yard long procession of arches and arcades topped by a slender tower modeled on a 12th century Spanish tower. It holds its own both as an icon on the waterfront and as a backdrop to city life, winning us over with dignity rather than flash.

The same subdued tone carries through inside to the ground-floor retail concourse. Here, though, it's an invention.

Posted by P6 at September 22, 2003 08:15 AM | Trackback URL: http://www.prometheus6.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1723
Comments

Holler loud and long when you approach. Dinner will be on me, sir.


Posted by at September 24, 2003 01:51 AM 

You're on!


Posted by at September 24, 2003 05:29 AM 

there's a reason they call it the athens of the west. and i'm not talking about athens, GA, either.


Posted by at September 24, 2003 05:59 PM 

You lost me.


Posted by at September 24, 2003 06:19 PM 

Oh, if that's a reference to the gay community out there, I know it exists and its extent. I lived in San Francisco a bit more than a year. It doesn't trouble me.


Posted by at September 24, 2003 06:44 PM 
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